


so, baby, can we dance?

by simplykrash



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: AGAIN just a little, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, F/F, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Homophobia, its a bit too fluffy, just a little bit, kind of, not much at all i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24457054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplykrash/pseuds/simplykrash
Summary: teen jillian holtzmann and erin gilbertinspired by "dancing with our hands tied" (loosely though cause i wrote it a bit too soft for this song)
Relationships: Erin Gilbert & Jillian Holtzmann, Erin Gilbert/Jillian Holtzmann
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	so, baby, can we dance?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I hope you all enjoy this story! 
> 
> It time jumps a bit, but it should be easy to understand. 
> 
> Have fun reading, thank you!!!! :)

_ I, I loved you in secret _

_ First sight, yeah, we love without reason _

They’ve been friends since science class freshman year. Erin Gilbert was quiet and awkward. Jillian Holtzmann was a ball of energy. 

The first words spoken between them where: “Come here often?” 

Erin didn’t quite know what to say, so she had let out a small laugh and settled her eyes on the floor. On anything but the girl next to her. 

Erin had walked into the room with a seating chart projected onto the board. Her name was next to one Jillian Holtzmann. 

“Are you Jillian?”

“I am. I prefer Holtz.”

“Okay, Holtz.” Erin smiles

They sit together every day for the rest of the year. At first, Erin was shy and didn’t talk much. She played along with Holtz’s daily pick-up lines and she freely smiles and laughs and she feels the most herself when she’s with Holtz, sitting in stiff plastic chairs in a room filled with people she doesn’t care about. 

She cares about Holtz because Holtz is incredibly brilliant. Her mind works in ways Erin doesn’t understand. But she doesn’t question it, it’s beautiful. And Holtz is so  _ free _ , Erin doesn’t understand how one can not seem to care about anything at all but also be so genuinely kind and sweet and  _ pretty _ .

Erin knows Holtz is beautiful. She’s all crazy blond curls and blue, sharp eyes and her face is just so  _ perfect _ . Sometimes Erin thinks about it for longer than someone should and she doesn’t know why. 

Surprisingly Holtz seems to like Erin too. They rarely pay any attention to what's around them. They pass notes and share secrets and they laugh and make jokes about the girls sitting in front of them. And sometimes Holtz winks at her and Erin blushes. Every. Single. Time. She still doesn’t know why. 

Holtz feels special. She feels a special bond between them, formed shortly after they met.

They eat lunch and they study in the library together. 

These are some of Erin’s favorite times. She sees Holtz focusing at her absolute max. She watches the way the big black rims of her glasses slide down her face and then she’ll push them back up. She likes the way Holtz’s face scrunches in concentration. She even likes the way Holtz fidgets in her chair. She’ll sit criss cross in a chair way too small for that. Or she’ll swing one leg over the ground while the other foot rests on the small steel chair. 

She likes to study with Holtz and witness the  _ magic.  _ Because Holtz just  _ understands _ . So Erin doesn’t mind when Holtz must explain things to her or has to take away from her own time to help Erin. Erin loves to see her brain work. 

Erin looks forward to science class every day. She looks for new things to discuss with Holtz (though Holtz never seems to run out of ideas). She’ll notice things in her day like the way people pronounce words and the way the sun was shining and streaming through the windows in the morning. Holtz always has some sort of odd fact or a related pickup line. 

“Ya know someone today pronounced tomato wrong?” Erin says. “I’ve always found that saying weird tomato, tomatoe.”

Holtz replies “Do you like fruit?… Because I love you from my head to my tomatoes.” 

Then Erin will laugh and forget what she’s saying. 

When Erin told her about the way the sun shone through the classroom windows. Holtz just said, “Is that the sun coming up?… or is it just you lighting up my world?” 

And then Erin would blush and sweat and fidget in her chair.

Holtz was equally excited to see Erin every day. She thought Erin was so intelligent and she was different from the others. Erin was kind and calm. She fit like the perfect half Holtz never knew she wanted (needed). Some days she wondered why Erin would be friends with her. Because she is loud and Erin is not. She has so much uncontained energy and Erin is collected and still. Her personality is large while Erin’s is small like she doesn’t believe she’s good enough. Holtz  **knows** that she is. She is stubborn. Okay, Erin's a little stubborn too. They just  _ fit _ . 

Erin pined in secret, she felt she couldn’t tell anyone the thought whirling around in her mind about this  _ girl,  _ this  _ woman.  _

Maybe she wasn’t quite sure she was “pining” but she longed to tell Holtz everything about herself and for Holtz to do the same. She admired Holtz’s brains and beauty. The intelligent words that would come out of her perfect mouth. 

For so long, she wanted to just  _ know  _ Holtz, know her so well that she could tell what Holtz was thinking and what she felt and how she thought. 

So they got closer because Holtz pushed herself at Erin and Erin grabbed everything she could hold onto. 

Eventually, they stop just hanging out at school and begin to explore each other's lives. They see the other’s home and safe spaces and beds and favorite places to go. They switch from studying in the library to studying on soft beds or the hard floor, sprawled out with books and papers strewn out around them.

_ And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis _

There is one thing that they don’t talk about though. Boys. One time, Erin mentioned a guy who she had heard had a crush on Holtz and she shut down faster than Erin had ever seen. So, Erin didn’t bring it up again. Erin doesn’t think about boys too much herself. Sometimes she wonders why, but then she sees Holtz and forgets. Because no one else matters. 

They are spread out along Erin’s mattress studying. Holtz has been extra quiet these last couple of hours, a worried look that she tries to hide through jokes and making Erin blush, but Erin sees it. 

She doesn’t like seeing Holtz like this. She seems small like she’s shrinking in on herself. 

“Erin.”

“Yeah?” 

Silence. 

“Holtz?” she pauses “Hey, what’s up.” She asks, worried. 

“I, um...” Holtz trails off. 

Holtz is looking down at her hands. She’s twisting her fingers and pulling at her shirt. 

“Please Holtz.” Erin looks at her. Her body is shrugged in and tight.“It's okay, whatever it is. It’s okay.” Holtz still looks almost terrified. “I’m here for you” 

“I, uh.” Holtz stammers then returns to picking at the mattress strings in front of her. “I can’t. You’re gonna leave” 

It almost breaks Erin’s heart. 

“No.” Erin grabs Holtz's hands from the mattress and squeezes them. “No, I promise. I won’t.”

“Okay.”

They sit in the silence of her room for a couple of minutes. Erin tries to give Holtz some time. Holtz is still behaving uncharacteristically nervous. With her hands distracting curling- and her eyes shifting around the room. But the rest of her body is completely still. 

“I’ve, well I’ve been thinking about this for a while and…” 

“I don’t think I like boys, Erin,” she whispers in a voice tinier than Erin had ever heard from her. 

Erin pulls her into a hug. Holtz bursts into tears.    
  


“Holtz, I love you. And I’m so proud of you. Thank you for trusting me.”

Erin rubs Holtz’s back and runs her hands softly through her hair. Holtz pulls back after a minute or two. Erin wipes the wetness from under her eyes and Holtz sighs quietly.

“Thank you.”

They don’t really talk about it after that. 

Nothing changes between them. Except for maybe the fact that Erin starts to question herself. 

//

“Hey, you want ice cream?” Erin calls from her kitchen. 

Holtz has been over at her house for a while. They had had a long Friday at school and then went home together. They studied (because Erin insisted). Holtz obliged because she’d do anything Erin asked. 

They explored Netflix and lounged on the couch. Erin didn’t even have to ask Holtz to stay the night. It was just a given. 

Eventually, Erin pulls some clothes from her dresser, a soft pair of shorts and a large t-shirt, and hands them to Holtz, who is off to shower. Erin stares a little too long when Holtz emerges, the shirt covering her shorts, falling about mid-thigh. She loves Holtz like this, all fresh. Any makeup scrubbed off and her normally pulled up hair, falling wet below her shoulders, leaving stains on her shirt. 

She also likes Holtz in her clothes, it makes her feel possessive of the girl she’d come to love and understand so well. 

After Erin’s shower, they jump into her queen size bed and turn on the TV. They eat the icecream Erin got from her freezer out of the tub, both spoons smoothly digging in. 

Their legs are tangled on the bottom half of the bed and their shoulders are pressed together. Erin thinks she could never be more content than this. 

She remembers the first time Holtz had slept in her bed. 

She had first offered her a bed in the guest bedroom. She had watched Holtz climb into the bed in her adorably dorky pajamas and then walked back to her own room. She had sat in bed, TV playing, reminiscing about their day.

Then Holtz knocked and said she couldn’t sleep. Erin invited her to come to watch television with her because she couldn’t sleep either. She remembered a drowsy Holtz drifting to sleep, head against Erin’s chest, and the lightweight of her hand against her stomach. Her hair was tickling Erin’s neck and the soft skin of her thigh warmly touching Erin’s. 

Erin doesn’t remember falling asleep. But waking up, with Holtz tangled up with her, is one of the clearest memories she has. Because Holtz looked almost (fully)  _ angelic. _ Erin had never seen such a beautiful, heartwarming sight. It took her breath away, to see her like that. With the sun shining onto her hair and face and skin. With blankets pooled around her waist, and her shirt riding up just a bit so Erin could see a peak of pale flesh. With one hand around a pillow and the other around Erin’s waist. With her legs crossed with Erin’s under the covers.

It felt almost  _ sacred _ , seeing Holtz so undisturbed, so quiet. It made her feel special. 

After that Holtz slept in her bed. Because Erin couldn’t imagine her  _ not.  _

  
  


_ I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted _

_ Oh, 'cause it's gravity _

_ Oh, keeping you with me _

Erin was walking down the hallway as she saw Holtz’s familiar curly updo trudging in her direction. She looked bad (she always looked good in Erin’s eyes, but this was different.) She looked tired, bags under her eyes and her face paler than usual. She was looking down and picking at her hands in front of her stomach. 

“Hey, hey,” Erin placed a hand on Holtz's shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Holtz jumped and looked up. “I’m fine, just tired.” 

“Holtz you really don’t look well.”

“Well, thank you, Gilbert. Means a lot.”

“Come on. I’m serious.”

“It’s just a little headache. It’ll go away.”

“Okay… I gotta go.” Erin rubs Holtz’s shoulder. “Text me if you need anything.” 

Midway through her English class her screen flashes with a text from Holtz. 

_ help it really hurts.  _

Erin’s heart squeezes. 

**hold on. wait till class is over and i’ll take you home. or you can go to the nurse**

_ i'll wait, meet me by my locker.  _

Erin doesn’t follow a single word said in class after that. She  _ hates _ knowing Holtz is in pain. 

When the clock finally strikes, Erin jumps from her seat and practically sprints to Holtz’s locker. She finds Holtz loading some books into her backpack and walks up to her. 

“Hey. Honey, how are you feeling?”

Normally Erin would be embarrassed about letting the pet name slip from her lips and normally Holtz would call her out on it. 

“Really bad, it hurts, Erin.” Holtz sighs as her eyes fill with liquid. 

“Come on.” Erin murmurs and takes Holtz’s backpack from her. 

They walk quickly to Erin’s car. 

She slides in the driver's seat after placing their bags in the back. She doesn’t ask where they are going, just drives them back to her own house. Erin grabs her hand and they remain clasped together the whole way. 

She looks over at Holtz and sees a tear slip from her eyes. Erin steps on the gas. 

When they reach Erin’s house. She leads Holtz to lay in the living room of her empty house on the couch. She brings her some water and Advil. 

“Thank you, Erin. I didn’t mean to ruin your day.” 

“No, Holtz. I’m here for you.” She runs her hands through Holtz’s hair. “I’m here for you.” 

She gets up to pull the curtains closed and shuts off the lights. She returns and sits down next to Holtz. 

“Here, put your head in my lap.”

“Well, if you insist” Holtz insinuates with a small wink. 

Erin shushes her and gently pulls her head into her lap. Holtz stretches out across her lap and the room grows quiet. 

Erin begins to run her fingers through Holtz’s hair and softly scrapes at her scalp. Holtz almost moans. 

“Please don’t stop.” 

Erin doesn’t. She feels the full weight of Holtz’s head settle onto her lap. And after a couple of minutes. She hears her breathing slow and deepen. 

When Holtz wakes, she has shifted so her legs are curled and her upper body curved around Erin. Her hands are circling Erin’s thighs. It feels  _ good _ . She finds Erin asleep, head tilted onto the top of the couch, hands still tangled in her hair. She’s so  _ grateful.  _

Next time she gets a headache, Holtz automatically places her head in Erin’s lap and lets the soft stroking lift her to sleep. 

\\\

Erin knows this isn’t what a normal friendship is like. They touch  _ so much.  _ And it’s not just because they are touch starved or friendly, touchy people. It’s because they  _ can't help it. _

Erin can’t stop it. She cannot stop herself from reaching out and grabbing Holtz’s hand or arm or shoulder. She can’t stop herself from pressing her legs into Holtz and feeling the goosebumps rise. She cannot help herself to tangle her hands in Holtz's hair and stroking it until she feels she has memorized the soft texture and could tell you exactly how long and exactly what shade of yellow it was. 

Holtz does the same. She’ll keep an arm slung around Erin’s shoulder or a hand on her knee (that makes Erin's legs shaky and weak). 

And yeah, sometimes people talk and they speculate. 

Sometimes they wonder what a simple girl like Erin would be doing associating with an  _ eccentric ( _ is not quite the word they use) girl like Holtz. 

Holtz will admit it did hurt and one time she heard some girls talking about them when she had wrapped her arm around Erin’s back before walking away and saying goodbye. 

They couldn’t understand why Erin would be such  _ good  _ friends with Holtz. And Holtz started to question. She didn’t know why either. So she had shut Erin out. She ceased contact and the words between them became shorter and shorter.    
  


And it  _ hurt.  _ It hurt Holtz to see the betrayed look on Erin’s face. It hurt Erin not to know why her greatest friend (and pretty much only one anymore) would stop talking to her. 

But thank the Lord, Erin didn’t let it go.

She reached out for Holtz and she would talk and ramble until finally, she ran out of things to say, because she needed Holtz. When Holtz became even more unresponsive and skipped lunch with Erin, leaving her sitting alone. 

Erin felt betrayed and upset and stupid. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong. 

Erin tracked her down, in the spot she knew Holtz would always go when she was upset. She skipped and jumped up the stairs to the almost empty third floor and pulled the door open to where she knew Holtz had to be. 

She found Holtz sitting against the wall, uneaten food spread out in front of her. Her knees pulled to her chest and her hair falling out of the ponytail holder, messily, like she had been pulling at it.

She pushed the door the rest of the way open. 

“Holtz, can I come in?” 

“Mhm”

Erin came and sat next to Holtz. She slowly wrapped an arm around Holtz back, giving her time to pull away. She didn’t. 

“What’s wrong, You can talk to me.”

“I-I’m not good enough for you.”

“What?” Erin questioned. “Holtz, you’re too good for me.” 

“No. I’m not and it’s okay. It’ll be fine, it just  _ hurts _ .” she continues while pulling at her hair.

“You are too good, way too good for me.” Erin insists. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to protect me. I understand.”

“Holtz! No! I swear to god, you are perfect and I love you more than I’ve ever loved someone. You’re kind and funny and I don’t know, you are the perfect friend. You listen and you know what to say to make me laugh but you know when to just let me work things out and you, you are  **so** good. It’s crazy, Holtz, how brilliant you are. Just because other people don’t understand it, doesn’t matter.” 

“You’re perfect, please believe that. Please don’t leave, you mean the world to me.” 

A tear slipped down her face and she pulled Erin as close as possible. They were a little off because of the way they were sitting, but it was good all the same. 

Erin sat and stroked Holtz’s back. She whispered the same admirations in her ear. 

She promised she would not stop until Holtz believed it too. 

_ I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets _

_ Picture of your face in an invisible locket _

Erin had learned fairly early in their friendship that Holtz was smart. And by smart she means  **smart** . Erin also learned that this - was used for things other than school. For example, Holtz plays  _ guitar _ . And  _ god,  _ if that isn’t one of the most attractive things, Erin doesn’t know what is. 

Erin plays the piano. Holtz plays guitar, piano, and she sings. 

Holtz showed up at Erin’s house one day, guitar in hand. She showed Erin the songs she could play and she sang along. Her voice was beautiful and pure. 

One day, they decided to learn a song together. Holtz chose “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”

Holtz began to sing and she felt like she couldn’t quite breathe right. 

But she learned it anyway. It felt good, to practice for hours with Holtz, giggling when they messed up and cheering when they got it right.    
  
Erin took about 100 videos that day. They pictured her sitting at the piano and Holtz sitting next to her, guitar in her lap. 

They played for god knows how long. They played until both their fingers were cramping and their voices were tired and scratchy. But she felt so connected to Holtz. She felt like they were making something together and it was beautiful. 

When Erin feels sad she’ll go back and watch the videos. She’ll focus on the sound of their voices together and the heavenly combination of the piano and guitar. 

Holtz still plays for her sometimes, and sometimes she joins in. 

But she also likes to watch as Holtz's arm strums up and down and the way her muscles shift and the way her arms tighten. She likes to watch Holtz’s dimples as she sings and watches the way her mouth moves to form perfect notes. 

Holtz would look up and see Erin staring. 

Then Holtz would say “I C Major potential in us getting together. 

And of course, Erin would blush and Holtz smile and probably wink

//

These were some of Erin’s favorite nights. Both of them dressed in sweats, Holtz somehow looking  _ so good _ in hers and Erin feeling comfortable and warm. 

It was about 10 o’clock and Holtz had insisted she take them to Target to buy pounds of candy. And “because who doesn’t love Target?” 

So, they had slipped on their shoes and hopped in the car, Holtz is driving of course. The one time she had let Erin drive, Holtz claimed she feared for her life. 

“Holtz, come one, I swear, that tree came out of nowhere.” Erin had insisted after she had swerved to nearly miss it. 

Holtz laughed and laughed and then promised in a very sincere voice that she wouldn’t let Erin drive unless absolutely necessary. 

They pull into the parking lot and Holtz practically skips to the entrance. She also skips the rest of the way to get a cart. When Erin asked why the needed a cart she answered “For fun of course” 

Holtz also insists that Erin get in the cart and let Holtz push her around the store. 

Normally, Erin would say no, but Holtz just looks so excited she can’t bear anything but to say yes. So Holtz steers her around the store, looking through furniture aisles and aisles filled with makeup products. 

“Holtz. We are here for c a n d y.” Erin spells out. 

“Erin, it's Target. There are no rules.” 

So Holtz weaves them through what feels like every aisle in the store until they finally reach what they came for. 

Holtz  _ piles  _ candy on top of Erin. She looks so happy, Erin thinks. 

She wants to spend every night like this, watching Holtz do something she loves. Even if she doesn’t understand it. For instance, right now. 

But it makes life feel so simple like there is no world outside of Holtz next to her, the walls of the Target, the bright artificial lighting, red shelves, and the warmth of her clothes. 

Holtz is rambling on about her favorite candies, which Erin already knows, and Erin thinks that  _ this is it.  _ This is what she’s been looking for, right here. 

“Ooh, skittles are my all-time favorite!!”

“Yes, I know.” 

Holtz grins down at her, her dimple deepening and then  _ pushes  _ on the cart, Erin goes flying and shrieking. They get weird looks from the small number of people in the store but Erin doesn’t care. 

  
  


_ I’d kiss you as the lights went out _

The silence around them was usually comfortable, but this one wasn’t. They could feel the tension rolling off of each other like steam filling the car. Erin had never felt this kind of pull toward another person before. The car smelled like Holtz and it made Erin want to reach over the console and pull her closer. 

Erin thinks she understands now. When people talk about an undeniable pull, this is it. Because Holtz is sitting there and Erin’s brain won’t quit. It’s on overdrive. _ Holtz. Holtz. Holtz.  _ Erin can’t stop it and she’s not sure if she wants to. She just hopes Holtz can feel it too. 

When Holtz pulls over to drop Erin off, she doesn’t immediately get out of the car and chivalrously opens Erin’s door for her, which she does, every time (to Erin’s dismay but secret pleasure). 

Holtz sits and stares and Erin feels it,  _ hard. _ She feels her face heat up, faster, and hotter than ever before. Her palms grow sweaty. Her fingers fidget in her lap. Holtz’s eyes drop to them and she takes one of Erin’s hands on her own. Erin feels sparks and more heat where their hands are touching. 

But Erin doesn’t quite know what to do now. She’s never done this before. She thinks she knows what might be about to happen, she doesn’t want to presume. 

“Come here often?” Holtz questions to break the silence. 

Erin laughs like she always does. Holtz thinks it’s the most beautiful sight. Erin sitting across from her, holding her hand, mouth open in laughter, her eyes shining, her hair bouncing and moving, her skin looking so perfectly kissable. 

So Holtz kisses her. She swoops in and takes her lips into hers and  _ kisses  _ her. It’s never felt like this before. Such an undeniable connection and attraction. The hand not holding hers moves to Holtz’s face and slides and caresses. Holtz whimpers. 

Holtz lets their lips slowly intertwine until her arms are pulling at Erin’s and Erin is rising from her seat and plopping back down onto Holtz's lap.

Holtz just feels warmth. The warmth of Erin’s thighs pressed tightly against her. The warmth of Erin’s lips and  _ oh,  _ is that her  _ tongue? _ Erin’s soft hands have now come to press into her neck but they skirt around quickly moving down her sides, as far around her back as they can reach with the restrictions of the car. 

Holtz’s own hands are sliding up and down Erin’s thighs and she thinks she has and will never be more content than this. 

She’s surrounded by Erin. Her total world is just  _ Erin.  _

When they finally run out of breath, Holtz pulls back and smiles. 

Erin opens the driver's side door and hops out of the car. She pecks Holtz on the lips (maybe more than a peck). Erin  _ grins,  _ with tousled hair and so clearly -just been kissed lips. And it makes Holtz feel  _ whole  _ knowing she did  _ that _ . 

“See you tomorrow, Holtzy.” Erin teases with a wink. 

//

It's not as smooth as it was the first time, because Erin had some time to overthink, but it’s still perfect again.

She got a text from Holtz as soon as she had slipped into her bed that night. 

_ i had such a great time with you, can you come over tomorrow?  _

**of course and me too holtz**

**see you then.**

She falls asleep unable to keep the smile off her face. 

As soon as Erin arrived the next day, she’s pulled into a hug and held tightly by strong arms. She holds her just as tightly back. 

“Erin, my darling,  _ you,  _ are a sight for sore eyes.” 

_ “ _ Why thank you, sweetheart.”

“Oh, you are  **welcome** , honeypie.”

“Honeypie, really, Holtz?”

“What’s wrong with that sugarplum?”

“No. Nope. Never.”

“Aw, come on. Why not?”

“Let’s go, monkeybutt” Erin laughs at Holtz’s disgusted look and bumps Holtz’s hip. She grabs her hand and pulls her inside.

“Okay fine, No sugarplum, honeypie, OR monkeybutt.” 

“Deal.” 

They spend the day cuddling on the couch playing movies they pretend they will watch when they inevitably get distracted and start kissing again. 

“Uh, Hey?” Holtz hesitates “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Duh, you idiot.” Erin teases. 

She smiles and wraps her arms around Holtz's neck and kisses her because she  _ can.  _

_ I’d hold you as the water rushes in _

People weren’t too happy when they came out. Erin the “good girl, goody-two-shoes, teacher’s pet” dating a  **girl?**

People didn’t understand. 

But Erin didn’t understand them, what’s wrong with it? They’re just two people in love. Why was it such a big deal?

They got weird and disgusted looks from around the school, teachers, and students alike. It scared Erin until Holtz squeezed her hand tighter and would say “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t understand. Someone very smart told me that once.” 

Then Erin would blush and interlock their fingers and keep right on walking. 

They did make two new friends, Patty and Abby. They had noticed the disapproval they were getting and they came up to Erin and Holtz and told them how brave they were and that they supported them and thought they were cute together. 

They all hang out now. And when Erin and Holtz are “grossly in love,” says Patty, Abby and Patty just laugh and express their wishes for a significant other. 

Another problem arose. 

Erin’s parents didn’t accept her. Erin told them she was gay. 

“I, I, I have something to tell you both.” Erin was terrified but she got the words out. 

“I’m gay,” she said. “And I’m dating Holtz.” 

Their mouths had opened in shock. It was quiet. 

“What?” 

“Excuse me?”

Erin crumpled. This wasn’t right. 

And after they had expressed their dislike, Erin had run over to Holtz’s house, inserted the key Holtz had made her and pushed the door open. 

The tear streaming down her face disrupted her vision and she collapsed into Holtz’s arm. 

Holtz held her and said it would all be okay. Erin wasn’t sure she believed but she didn’t let go. 

She fell asleep on Holtz’s couch and when she woke, she told Holtz what her parents had said. 

“This is unacceptable” 

“Just a phase.”

“You’re just confused.”

“Did  she trick you into this?”

And it hurt, it hurt so bad. But Holtz kept her pressed against her body and she spoke validation in her ear and Erin felt a bit better. 

It took a while. 

But they eventually came around, well as much as Erin could expect them too. They finally reallowed Holtz to come over, after months of her sneaking out to see her. They treated Holtz with fake kindness. And still made comments about husbands and boyfriends, but Erin didn’t care. 

Because she was allowed to see Holtz and kiss her and hold her hand when walking and cuddle freely in Erin’s bed (with the door open of course). 

And a while later, her parents eventually come to like Holtz as her  _ girlfriend _ (the word still makes Erin giddy). She thinks it was because they could see it, could see how ecstatic she was when Holtz was around and how much Holtz adored her. 

And of course, Erin was scared that one day it would all snap. 

But it never did. 

  
  


_ Yeah, we were dancing _

_ Like it was the first time, first time _

**a couple of years later**

Now they fall asleep in the same bed every night, they spend almost all the time they have together. 

Erin couldn’t be happier, she thinks back to the girl she was in 9th grade walking into that science classroom and seeing the name Jillian Holltzmann. Now that’s the name that means the most to her. The person she can always turn too, the person whose bright smile and corny pick up lines lifted up her life and took her to a place she didn’t know was possible.

Because she wakes to Holtz’s warm body next to hers, in an apartment that they live in together. And sometimes she thinks life is crazy because one minute you meet someone and the next it feels like your life wouldn’t be complete without them. Erin knows that might be cheesy but it's really how she feels,  _ lucky.  _ Because everyone doesn’t get this, they don’t get their person. 

Holtz is glad she kissed Erin because now she gets to kiss her every day. And she still feels it,  _ that rush.  _ The feeling that she must’ve done something really  _ right.  _

She’s so glad her incessant joke telling and goofy attitude didn’t cause Erin to leave when they first met. She’s so glad she found someone who no matter what believes in her. It feels like a perfect fit. 

They don’t always have the perfect day or the perfect relationship, but they try. And it must work because the joy and excitement she feels when Erin is around are still there after this many years. 

Because of Holtz, the world has opened up for Erin. 

All because of the words “Come here often?” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Comments mean a lot to me so comment your thoughts about this work, or anything in general! (feel free to give criticisms or suggestions too)
> 
> I appreciate you dearly if you read all the way through
> 
> -G


End file.
